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They have said that as the current UK threat level is 'severe' it is vital exercises like these are carried out.

Essex Police tweeted yesterday evening advising flyers that if they see officers around the area to not worry as it was part of a live training exercise.

Richard Phillibrown, deputy airport commander chief inspector, said: "This was a really positive exercise where we were able to test our response to a would-be terror attack.

"During the live play we tested our tactical response to terrorists with firearms and how we would deal with the challenge in practice.

Officers were responding to a exercise with simulated terrorists with firearms

"Stansted is the UK's fourth busiest airport and more than 26 million passengers pass through each year so it's essential we're prepared for any eventuality."

"There's no specific intelligence currently to suggest there may be an attack at Stansted but as the UK terror threat level is at 'severe' it's really important we carry out these exercises to make sure we're ready should the worst happen."

What do the threat levels mean?

Threat levels are designed to give a broad indication of the likelihood of a terrorist attack.

There are five different levels ranging from low to critical:

Low - means an attack is unlikely

Moderate - means an attack is possible, but not likely

Substantial means an attack is a strong possibility

Severe - means an attack is highly likely

Critical - means an attack is expected imminently

Threat levels are not to panic the public and do not require specific responses, they are used as a tool for security practitioners working across different sectors.

The government and Mi5 release information relating to the current threat level to keep everyone informed

He said: "I hope these kinds of exercises also give the public confidence that they are safe when using the airport.

"I'd also like to thank Manchester Airport Group and all the staff at Stansted for their support and co-operation."

The Ministry of Defence have made the UK threat levels over the past decade available to the public.

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In addition to training exercises other measures are employed to deter, detect and disrupt criminal and terrorist activity.

There is also Project Servator at Stansted Airport which involves highly visible, unpredictable deployments of specially-trained officers to detect criminals, as well as, police dogs, armed police, CCTV and Border Force officers.

The simulation is to ensure the safety of the public and staff

John Farrow, London Stansted's security and customer services director, said: "The safety and security of passengers, staff and airport infrastructure will always be our overriding priority so it's vital we collaborate with our airport partners and the emergency services to prepare, develop and test how we protect against and respond to a wide range of operational scenarios and incidents."

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If you see anything suspicious while at Stansted Airport or any other location in Essex, please report it to the authorities.

In the unlikely situation that you are caught up in a terror attack the advice is to run, hide, and tell.

Run to the nearest place of safety, and if you cannot run then hide as best you can, and importantly, tell the emergency services where you are, what you can see and all the information that you have about the situation.